Please Know Who I Am
by nalunatics
Summary: When a group of unusual children show up at the guild, it's up to everyone to help them back to their own time… Before it's too late. But when is too late? And who are these children that seem more and more familiar as the hours tick on? Mostly nalu, but also gruvia, gajevy, and jerza.
1. Chapter 1

"Would you quit complaining?" Gray huffed, placing a glare in Natu's direction. "No one can help that the weather is shit."

"We can go on a job tomorrow, Natsu. I've got to pay my rent soon anyways," Lucy consoled, stretching her arms over her head and sighing. "Besides, it's nice to have a relaxing day once in a while, don't you think?"

"I guess," Natsu moped, his head squished against the bar's top in front of Mira who watched him with a sympathetic expression. "But it's been raining for _days_, I wanna punch something! Gray!" Gray rolled his eyes and huffed again, slinging an arm around Juvia's shoulders.

"Not today, flame-brain. We're heading out." He gestured to his blue haired girlfriend who nodded with a smile. Everyone was still getting used to the fact that Juvia and Gray were finally together, but it was a good thing. After all, Gajeel and Levy were about to have Shutora and Yaje, and everyone had grown over the years, gotten older. It didn't surprise Lucy that their friends were starting to settle down.

And then there was Natsu who was now pouting like a sullen child.

"Me too," Erza replied, a brush gliding through her long red hair. "Don't cause any trouble, Natsu. Everyone deserves a day or so of doing nothing so don't go and cause chaos." Erza gave Natsu a hard stare and he just sighed.

"We'll be back a bit later!" Juvia called from the guild's door, an umbrella already propped between her and Gray.

"Give Jellal our best," Mira chimed in as Erza followed after the pair, her face turning as red as her hair. "It's quite obvious where you're off to." She giggled from behind the bar as Erza grimaced behind her blush. Lucy joined in with Mira's laughter, and waved to Erza as she left.

"It's nice to see them finally getting some time together, don't you think?" Mira mused as Lucy sipped her morning tea.

"Yeah, they deserve it after everything." Lucy agreed, setting her cup down carefully and sent a sidelong glance at Natsu who seemed like he didn't care in the slightest about the conversation the two girls were having. "Hey, where's Happy?" Lucy had just noticed that the little ball of fur wasn't floating around their heads.

"With Wendy and Carla, where else? The traitor." Natsu grumbled into his arm and Lucy stifled a giggle.

"My, you'd think it was Valentine's Day with all the love that's been flowing through the guild.

"I guess so," Lucy pondered; she had noticed how more people were spending time together. Elfman and Evergreen were _definitely_ a couple, but they would fight anyone who said so, even when they were found in a compromising situation, by Bickslow, in a storage closet. Gajeel and Levy were having breakfast at one of the tables near the bar; Gajeel was fluffing a pillow for Levy's back, even though she was already surrounded by them. Her belly was about to pop any day now, so she had been advised by Porlyusica to stay at the guild or in the girl's dorm, even though she and Gajeel lived together, so she would be close to the infirmary when she went into labor. Gajeel hadn't left her side since, or really at all since he found out Levy was pregnant. Lucy thought it was adorable how he doted on her, and Levy undoubtedly deserved it. They would be a lovely family and Lucy couldn't wait to meet the twins when they finally blessed the guild.

"Lu...cy... He-llo..?" Natsu was poking her arm, pulling her back from her thoughts. She quickly flicked his hand away, causing his pout to deepen, and Lucy rolled her eyes. Mira just smirked, but Lucy was more focused on why Natsu was wailing at her.

"What?"

"I've been trying to talk to you for, like, ten minutes." Natsu sat up straighter and crossed his arms over his chest, still not losing the pout of dejection.

"I'm ever so sorry, Natsu. What is it that you need?" Lucy responded in a sickly sweet voice causing Natsu to frown and Mira to giggle.

"I was _asking_ if you had food at your apartment." Natsu stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Lucy supposed it was. Natsu was always hungry.

"What's wrong with the food here?" Lucy pointed out and Natsu stretched an arm across his chest and sighed.

"Not as good as yours," He replied simply and Lucy rolled her eyes, though she could feel the heat of a blush on her cheeks.

"Are you just asking me if I'll make you food?" Lucy sighed and Natsu grinned his megawatt smile at her that she couldn't help but contain her own behind her hand.

"Fine! You're so obnoxious. But do _not _make a mess of my apartment!" Lucy warned and Natsu leapt up excitedly.

"Alright! I'm all fired up!" He cheered and bounded towards the exit.

"You're just going to eat!" Lucy cried exasperatedly after him, "Wait! Please grab an umbrella, I do _not _need you traipsing water all through the house!"

"You two have fun, Lucy." Mira smiled, her eyes sparkling with mischief as Lucy chased after Natsu who had elected to ignore her comment about an umbrella.

"What do you want to eat?" Lucy called from the kitchen to where Natsu lay sprawled on her couch. It wasn't necessarily an abnormal occurrence that Lucy was cooking him food. At least twice a week, if not more, Natsu would claim that the guild's food didn't taste good and he wanted to eat at her apartment. Lucy didn't mind, that much, and of course Natsu was more than happy to make his own food, but he nearly burnt down her apartment one time, without even using his own magic. So, Lucy had taken over making meals. She had come to actually really liking cooking for someone other than herself for once. She was able to try new recipes because, no matter if they came out perfect or subpar, Natsu would eat it without complaint. She, of course, would cook for Happy too, but they had been seeing less and less of him since he had been spending more time with Carla lately.

"Ooh! What about that spicy chicken you made that one week?" Natsu shot up, an excited grinned plastered on his face. "Man, that was so good!"

"Oh, with the cajun spices?" Lucy grinned to herself as she gathered the ingredients. "Sure."

"Do you have any pie left from Monday?"

"Somehow, yes. I don't know how you and Happy didn't inhale it yet, but it's in the fridge." Lucy gestured to the refrigerator with the tongs she was using to flip chicken breast in seasoning. Natsu shot up and dug out the pumpkin pie she had baked earlier in the week.

"I would say you'll ruin your lunch if you eat that, but you won't," Lucy sighed and shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. Natsu dug in happily and Lucy busied herself with making their food.

It didn't take long after Lucy finished cooking that Natsu has also inhaled their lunch, and Lucy tried to savor hers, but Natsu managed to steal a few bites of her own food. They were cleaning up the kitchen; Natsu always helped clean up which made her not mind cooking all that much more, when Happy burst in as a chaotic ball of blue fur.

"You _guys_!" Happy gasped causing Lucy jump and make the bowl she was scrubbing clatter into the sink. "Come quick!"

"What's wrong?" Natsu demanded, on full alert, fists clenched while Lucy clutched her chest, still near a heart attack after the fright.

"What for? Is someone hurt?" Lucy felt as panicked as Happy looked. He vigorously shook his furry head and Natsu cocked his head to one side in concern.

"Then what happened?"

"These weird kids showed up at the guild! They won't let anyone know who they are, but they want everyone there." Happy explained and Lucy felt beyond puzzled.

"Kids? A-are they threatening people?" Lucy stammered trying to get a hold on the situation as she gathered her things to leave and follow Natsu and Happy back to the guild.

"No, not so far. They just asked for the guild to be there. They said they can't say who they are, but a couple of them asked _specifically_ for you and Natsu."

"Hmm..." Lucy rested her chin in her hand as she walked, deep in thought. "That's weird. Maybe they're hoping that if everyone is there they can persuade us to let them join? How old are they?"

"Kids...?" Natsu muttered, lost in his own thought.

"Dunno, but the two oldest look like they may be twelve or thirteen? They look like they're twins. The rest are younger, I think." Happy replied as they steadily made their way to the guild.

Lucy was at a loss, she couldn't drum up any clue on what a bunch of kids would be doing at the guild hall. The only kids that were ever there were Romeo, Wendy, and Asuka, it wasn't in Makarov's interest to let children join for their own safety. The closer they got to Fairy Tail, the more Lucy felt apprehensive. Something felt strange about the whole situation. _Why won't they tell us who they are...?_

As the guild came into view, Natsu all but flung himself through the doors. He had been strangely quiet their whole walk over, but granted the guild wasn't far from Lucy's apartment.

"Alright, what's goin' on?" Natsu called to the group gathered in the center of the guild hall.

"Took you two long enough." Gray replied, those his voice held an edge to it and his eyes never drifted from the center of the group everyone was in.

"What's going on here?" Lucy scurried after Natsu, standing close to where Levy was, rubbing her belly. When Lucy flicked her gaze to Levy, her eyes looked glassed over and were wide open, staring at what Lucy had yet to see. "What in Earthland..."

"I-I'm glad everyone is here now..." A new voice Lucy had never heard before spoke up, and the group shifted enough so Natsu and Lucy could be part of the makeshift circle. There, standing in the center, was a motley group of kids. Happy was right, the two eldest looking ones did look strikingly similar, a boy and a girl, both had grayish-blue hair. Then, there was a slightly younger, quieter boy with bright red hair who seemed to not want to be in the guild. Next to them was a boy, though younger than the twins and the red headed boy, but he seemed to be the next oldest along with another girl. The boy stood strong with blonde, almost unruly hair and an oddly familiar stare. His brows were drawn down in an almost serious glare, but a hint of mischief played behind his green eyes. The girl next to him had light blue hair, and she stood timidly with her hands clasped behind her back. Finally, the youngest of them all was a girl, no more than five or six, with light pink hair and big, bright brown eyes. A devious grin was on her face and Lucy couldn't help but feel a pull towards her and the blonde haired boy.

"S-something is weird here," Natsu stammered, he actually stammered and Lucy stared up at him bug eyed. When the little girl with pink hair saw him, she looked at him so excitedly, as if she was going to cry out. But before she could utter anything, the blonde haired boy hushed her quickly and whispered a few words to her to which she nodded somberly.

"You're right," Gajeel agreed for once with Natsu, his eyes wide as he stared down the children. A look seemed to pass between the two dragon slayers and Lucy watched as Natsu shook his head ever so slightly, his green eyes remaining wide, and his nose twitching. _They smell something_.

Seeing this interaction, Lucy studied the children harder and came to the realization that all of them felt _familiar _which was completely impossible since she had never seen them before in her life. But something within her quivered; they had magic power, she could feel it, but it's like she had encountered it before. It was a lesser force of magic that she already knew.

"Lu-" Levy nudged her, but was cut short when the girl in the set of twins spoke up and Lucy realized that she had been the one to speak when she, Natsu, and Happy had arrived.

"Thank you for, uh, coming so quickly..." She began and her brother nodded to her.

"We're sorry to intrude, but we need your help." He finished, the boy's dark eyes sweeping the group before them.

"We don't even know who you are." Gray pointed out as he swallowed hard. This caused the girl with the light blue hair to flinch as if he had struck her, and tears began to well in her eyes.

"Hey, Bri, it's alright, it'll be okay." The blonde haired boy stood in front of her, his hand on her shoulder as he whispered consoling words to her. Lucy felt a pang in her chest at the sight. _Who are these precious children_?

"Y-you're right," The girl spoke up again. She seemed shy, but there was an air of confidence to her that Lucy didn't miss. "Partly." Lucy was so lost in thought that she nearly missed the end of her sentence.

"What does that mean, _partly_?" Erza demanded and the red headed boy snapped his head up at her voice. Over his right eye was a large patch that Lucy hadn't noticed before, and she hoped that he was alright.

"May I say something?" The red head rose, his voice was cool and reserved, and he seemed to surprise the other children by speaking up.

"_Do not blow this_..." The twin boy grit his teeth and whispered out threateningly; it seemed he had a bit of a temper.

"W-where is... Jellal?" He asked quietly, his eyes cast to the ground. Erza nearly choked at the boy's words, her face turning as red as her hair.

"I, um... H-he's not part of this guild." Erza stammered, confusion lacing her words.

"But you... H-he's... You're Erza. But you're Erza!" He exclaimed, the one eye uncovered shone with panic.

"Yes," Erza composed herself enough to kneel down in front of the boy who was now near hysterics.

"We already told you he wouldn't be here." The twin boy rolled his eyes, but his sister sent him a death glare that rivaled Gajeel's.

"Yes, I am Erza and Jellal is a friend of ours, but he's not here right now." Erza smiled tentatively at the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But worry not, he's fine. He visits Fairy Tail sometimes and... and he lives with me," A collective gasp could be heard around the guild and Lucy's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

"Since the hell when?" Gray scoffed and Juvia cast him a wide eyed look, gesturing to the kids. Erza just glared in his direction, her face a bright flush, but she continued.

"He's on a mission right now, but I can assure you he's perfectly fine." The boy nodded and wiped his eye while Erza pat his head. Lucy didn't miss how he seemed to lean in to her touch, but the moment was quickly over as Erza stood up and the red headed boy went back to being stoic.

"As we were saying, we need your help."

"And what help is it that you need, exactly?" Gajeel's gruff voice questioned authoritatively. The sound of his voice seemed to even rattle the twins as the started up at him and glanced at Levy at his side, her hands on her large belly.

"W-we..." The eldest boy began, but he couldn't take his eyes off the pair and Levy's pregnant stomach.

"We need help getting back to our own time," His sister finished quickly and Lucy heard herself audibly gasp.

"You're own time?" Lucy shifted forward in front of Natsu who still seemed jarred by whatever he and Gajeel had figured out. The blonde haired boy blushed as he grasped the youngest girl's hand to keep her in place by his side. They both looked like they were trying their best to stay silent.

"S-something happened, in our own time... And you all are the ones that we thought may be our best hope." The twin girl responded.

"Okay," Levy shifted her weight, "What kind of magic was it?"

"It was a book," The girl smiled ruefully, "I believe you may be the best chance, m- uh, Levy." Her brother scowled at her, but nodded.

"And there's one more thing," Her brother added, "We need to get back before... Before you have your, uh, babies." He cast a bashful glance down at the floor and Levy and Gajeel exchanged a look.

"Er, any particular reason?" Levy asked, a small laugh escaping her lips.

"There's a reason why we can't tell you who we are," The eldest girl replied.

"But if you figure it out, it seems that it shouldn't hinder us getting back to the.. The future." Her brother finished and Lucy felt her blood run icy. _Figure out who they are_?


	2. Chapter 2

Something unsettled Lucy, it wasn't a terrible feeling but it was a feeling of vague familiarity that the children held. Natsu still stood stark still, his nose had stopped twitching, but his face shown something between curiosity and disturbance.

"What's going on here?" Makarov ambled his way through the crowd that was formed around the children. Though small, the master emanated an authoritative presence that Lucy welcomed. Perhaps he would be able to make some sense of the situation.

"Master!" The pink haired little girl cheered before her brother hushed her aggressively. Lucy had made out that, so far, the twins were obviously related, and the blonde haired boy and the pink haired girl were brother and sister. The red headed boy and the girl with blue hair seemed to not have any siblings with them, if they had any.

"Master?" Makarov rubbed his chin in thought. "So, you lot need a bit of help I've heard. I suppose we could try to offer assistance, but let me warn you, we can't promise anything."

"We know that!" The twin girl said in a rush. "W-we just didn't have anyone else to go to... We knew that Fairy Tail would be the best option."

"And how do you know us?" Makarov placed an inquisitive stare on the two eldest children who shifted their feet uncomfortably. The boy then cleared his throat and met Makarov's gaze.

"We're not at liberty to say." He replied sounding strained and Makarov raised a brow. "I- I know how that sounds! But as we explained before, we can't say who we are, but if you figure it out-"

"You're Yaje and Shutora." Levy suddenly spoke up, her eyes wide and a hand resting gently on her belly. Gajeel nearly choked standing next to her, his eyes stretched as wide as they could.

"_What_?" Gajeel gasped and everyone looked at Levy in confusion.

"Who are Yaje and Shutora?" Erza questioned and Levy broke into a huge smile, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Th-they're..." Gajeel began but trailed off, shaking his head. "Impossible. I knew they smelled familiar but..."

"They're the twins." A collective gasp resonated throughout the guild and Lucy heard herself take a sharp breath, whipping to turn to her friend.

"H-how can you be sure?!" Lucy asked frantically, her eyes shifting between the twins, who had now gone wide eyed and were blushing, and Gajeel and Levy. Gajeel looked like he was going to pass out, but Levy was grinning like a mad woman.

"Just look at them!" Levy stepped towards the twins tentatively and they both swallowed hard. "You're beautiful, oh... I'm right, aren't I?" Without responding audibly, they nodded in unison, and Levy promptly burst into tears.

"W-we thought we wouldn't be able to see you again." Yaje stammered, "We need your help to get back to you."

"Lev... Are you..." Gajeel came to stand next to Levy, cradling her with his arm around her shoulders. He bent his head down and took a long, albeit uncomfortable, sniff of the two children and stood up sharply. "I can't believe it."

"Dad..." Shutora nearly whimpered and Gajeel's lip quivered. Lucy had never seen him so emotional and Lucy felt like she needed to avert her eyes from the special moment between the family members.

"This must mean, the rest..." Mira piped up, her hand on her cheek in thought.

"E-explain... What happened?" Gray asked, focusing his attention on the other children, desperately seeking answers. The blonde haired boy was the one to speak as the twins were being tightly embraced by their shell shocked parents.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, obviously..." His voice was young, but raspy and familiar, and it struck a cord in Lucy. "We were looking at old photo albums, and Shutora tried to cast a simple enchantment on the album. It was just supposed to allow us to see into the past, you know, like a projection."

"B-but something happened..." The little girl with blue hair spoke softly, her eyes cast to the ground, her hands still clasped behind her back.

"It was my fault," Shutora spoke up, wiping tears from her eyes. "I must of cast it too strong, Freed showed me how to do it, but I think I did it wrong..."

"It was the group of us who wanted to see the past through the albums. The old guild, er, well _your_ time's guild looked so cool!" The blonde haired boy spoke up excitedly.

"It cast us back in time, to your time." Yaje finished, hanging his head shamefully.

"There's no need to be so hard on yourself," Juvia stepped forward and smiled comfortingly at the group. The younger girl with blue hair snapped her gaze up, a blush forming on her pale cheeks as she spotted Juvia. "You're only children. If you don't make mistakes, how will you ever learn?"

"There's just one major problem, we need to get back to our own time before we're born." Shutora explained and then blushed. "Er, that sounds really weird to say..."

"We think that it will create a paradox if we're here when we arrive." Yaje continued and Lucy nodded, it made sense to her. What worried her was Levy was ready to have them any day now and the shock of the situation might even accelerate her labor.

"Since the rest of us don't technically exist yet, it shouldn't be a problem for us..." The blonde haired boy's gaze flicked to Lucy's and then his eyes shifted to Natsu. Lucy felt an odd chill go through her, like she was missing something. "But either way we all wanna get back, I'm sure our parents, er... Are worried."

"You all are so cute!" Mira giggled causing the kids to startle; leave it to Mira to burst out the compliments. "Hm, I wonder, are there more of you that weren't pulled through?"

"There are more kids at the guild, yes." Shutora answered cautiously. "We were just the ones with the album. We were in the library."

"You all look so familiar..." Makarov rubbed his beard in thought. "Obviously you two are Gajeel and Levy's brats, but the rest of you... I can't put my finger on it."

"Well, I thought it was rather obvious," Lisanna perked up, her eyes sparkling. "The reason why they wanted certain people here is because they're _certain people's_ kids."

"Exactly right! This is so adorable." Mira sighed, drawing her clasped hands to her chest.

"Th-this is a lot to take in..." Gray looked even more pale than he usually did and Juvia rubbed his back in comfort. Lucy's stomach twisted and her eyes widened. She hadn't thought about them being _other's_ kids. Gray and Juvia were together, and Erza said she and Jellal were living together now, but they had clearly been together for a while. Gajeel and Levy were on the brink of being a four person family, but the group of children was a decent size of six. Yaje and Shutora belong to Gajeel and Levy, and if Lucy squinted she felt like she was on the edge of matching who to who.

"What are your names?" Natsu croaked out after an abnormal amount of time of being quiet. Lucy stole a glance his way and watched him almost shakily run a hand through his pink locks, mussing them up even more than they usually were.

"I guess since they figured out this much... I-it couldn't hurt, right?" Shutora asked her brother and he shrugged.

"They already know our names." Yaje sighed and then turned to the younger kids, nodding in encouragement.

"Are you sure something else bad isn't gonna happen..?" The red headed boy muttered, his one visible eye cast down.

"I don't think so. It didn't take long for them to figure out who we are..." Shutora shifted her eyes around the group.

"How could I not know my own child? Even though we haven't officially met yet." Levy giggled and patted Shutora's head. "I bet Gajeel and I are worried sick right now."

"I bet you are." Shutora smiled up at Levy, and it struck Lucy how much she suddenly looked _so_ much like Levy, just with darker hair.

"Come here," Erza stepped forward and beckoned the sad looking red headed boy. She smiled encouragingly at him, his eye wide as if he couldn't believe Erza had singled him out. He shuffled towards her and she gently brushed his hair away from his eyes. She then, surprising Lucy and the boy, shifted the patch off of his right eye, revealing a blue birthmark. "You look so much like him." Erza grinned as the boy stared at her in shock, his lips quivering. Erza squatted down and embraced him where he sobbed into her shoulder.

"I bet your name is Kei, isn't it?" He vigorously wiped at his eyes and Lucy caught sight of the birthmark again; it looked just like Jellal's. "I always loved that name. My blessed boy." Erza brushed tears off his cheeks and Lucy felt herself tearing up; Erza became motherly so quick, there was no doubt she would be a great mom.

"I-I'm Kei..." He confirmed and Erza smiled, her own eyes a bit misty. "Will I be able to see dad, um, Jellal?" Erza cocked her head to the side in thought and then nodded.

"I'll contact him to come back early from his mission. He should be a part of this too." Kei, for the first time since they had gotten there, smiled. He was grinning madly, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Yaje asked apprehensively and Kei snapped his head back towards the older boy.

"Yes!" He hissed and Yaje actually shrank back.

"I just don't want-"

"I'm going to see him." Kei growled out angrily and Natsu shivered next to Lucy.

"Geez, no doubt he's Erza's kid, look at that glare." Natsu gulped and Erza threw an eerily similar glower in his direction. Lucy couldn't help but let out a little giggle; the whole situation was making her head spin.

"You okay, Luce?" Natsu murmured and Lucy just shook her head in disbelief.

"This is unreal." Lucy replied in a whisper, and Natsu caught her eye. He looked fearful but almost excited. Lucy knew he had a soft spot for kids, but this was a totally different world. This was talking about their friends' children, kids that were from the future Fairy Tail.

"This is Briny." The blonde haired boy stepped forward, his arm gently around the blue haired girl's shoulders. She looked like she was going to burst into a flame of embarrassment, but quite the opposite happened. At the boy's touch and all eyes on her, she began to go transparent- no, she was turning to_ liquid_.

"Oh!" Juvia squeaked, her eyes sparkling. "Your name... It's like the sea. And your magic..." Briny's big blue eyes shone up at Juvia, and when Lucy saw them standing in front of each other, she looked like a miniature version of Juvia, she just had eyes that were more similar to-

"Gray! Look at her..." Juvia cooed and the girl blushed furiously. Gray stood nearby, his face the definition of shock. He blindly moved forward, his shirt was long gone and Lucy thought it was a bit inappropriate with all of the children, but she could bet they were used to it in the future.

"She looks like you." Gray mumbled as he crouched in front of the girl. "You use water magic?"

"She does so much more than that!" The blonde haired boy spoke up excitedly and Gray's gaze shifted to him and he flushed. Briny went bright red at his enthusiasm and the boy continued. "Er, yeah. She can use snow magic. Snow make magic is what it's called."

"S-snow make?" Gray stammered, his eyes welling. "I-I, we have..."

"Hi Daddy... Mommy..." Briny spoke barely above a whisper and Lucy's heart clenched as she watched Gray's tears fall silently as he gently stroked Briny's face, and Juvia grinning ear to ear.

"We have... a daughter!" Gray exclaimed, and laughed an almost hysterical laugh.

"We do." Juvia's smile broadened and she took Gray's hand in hers. "And she must use the most beautiful magic."

"I don't buy it, no way could Gray have kid that cute." Natsu loudly whispered to Lucy and she jabbed him in the side for ruining the moment. Gray scowled at him, looking ready to throw a fist at Natsu. Lucy hurriedly stepped between the pair, sighing.

"Alright, enough. A lot is going on right now and emotions are high, but fighting is _not_ the answer at the moment!" Lucy had each palm facing one of the boys. "Don't you think you two could just-!"

"Heh, this looks familiar, doesn't Stel?" The blonde haired boy nudged his sister who nodded excitedly.

"Yup! Mommy is _always_ yelling at Gray and Daddy because they're fighting." She agreed, an angelic smile on her little face.

"W-wait a minute, did you just-?" Lucy stammered, her arms dropping to her sides. She risked a glance at Natsu and he looked like he was actually going to spontaneously combust, and not on purpose. His cheeks were flushed and all fight vanished from his eyes.

"Wait," Gray snickered and eyed Lucy and Natsu. "You're telling me, those two are actually your _parents_?" Gray looked like he was about to burst into a fit of laughter, but Juvia put a hard glare on him.

"B-but we're not even dating! M-me a-and..." Lucy's face burned and she couldn't even bring herself to look at Natsu. She didn't need to to feel the abnormal amount of heat coming off of him; this must be him at peak embarrassment.

"Holy shit!" Gajeel broke the silence with loud guffaws and Levy needed to smack him to make him stop. Lucy swallowed hard and stole another look at Natsu, who had been silent. His eyes were wide with wonder and he seemed to be frozen in place. He only had eyes for the two kids in front of him, a half smile on his lips and Lucy instantly felt her heart melt.

"Luce..." He only broke his gaze from the kids for a moment to give her a soft look. "Look what we did." His voice was softer than Lucy had ever heard it, and she realized why the boy, their supposed son, sounded so familiar. He sounded so much like Natsu, they had that same, crackling fire voice, smoky and sweet.

"Um..." The boy perked up again seeming embarrassed. "Uh, I-I don't know much about, er, all the details of your, uh, relationship? Ugh, this is gross." He huffed and Shutora giggled.

"What he's _trying_ to say is that, yes, Lucy, Natsu, these are your kids." Shutora smiled brightly and Natsu hissed in a small gasp. "Ryuu and Stella."


	3. Chapter 3

Lucy felt shock ripple through her once more. Heat was still rolling in waves off of Natsu, though his face had softened to a heartbreakingly adorable smile. Ryuu and Stella looked up at them almost expectantly; all of the others had had tearful meetings with their children, but Lucy felt glued to the guild's floor. Natsu took a few hesitant shuffles forward and Stella nearly bounced over to him, Ryuu finally giving her the go-ahead.

"Hi, Daddy!" Natu's steps faltered as he eyed her, her hair matching perfectly to his, and her big brown eyes, Lucy noticed, mirrored her own. Natsu covered his face a bit with his hand, his cheeks visibly burning with a flush. He nervously cast a glance back at Lucy before composing himself a bit and squatting down in front of Stella.

"Hey there," Natsu began, his voice cracking a bit. Lucy felt like she was floundering; never had she seen Natsu so… Taken off guard. She felt unguided and ungrounded. If Natsu was silently panicking, what was she to do? Her head was swimming with thoughts and scenarios and how the hell they were supposed to help them back to their own time. She knew her eyes were wide and panicked. Levy sent her a worried glance and began to step towards her, but Gajeel shook his head slightly and placed a large palm on her shoulder, stopping her. Lucy and Natsu were in this alone.

Lucy didn't understand why she couldn't move. She couldn't speak or think straight; she felt like the air had been punched out of her. How on Earthland did she and Natsu have children? In any future? They were friends… Best friends, yes, but more? Lucy didn't think it would happen, didn't think it was possible, but yet here was living proof it _does_. Lucy wasn't disappointed at all, she surprised herself by feeling the flutter of excitement and happiness deep within her belly, but there was more to it. She felt disappointment in a way that something had been spoiled for her.

"Uh, um… M-mom?" Suddenly, Ryuu's timid voice broke through Lucy's thoughts, his big green eyes shining with uncertainty. "I-I'm s-sorry…" He murmured, casting his eyes to the ground, his brows furrowed. "I'm sorry if you're disappointed." The sentence shot through Lucy's heart like an arrow and, suddenly, she found her mobility. Lucy gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth, and very nearly started sobbing on the spot. Natsu looked alarmed, shooting a concerned look over his shoulder at her.

"O-oh, no… _ I'm_ sorry." Lucy began, stepping towards Ryuu who snapped his head up, glistening eyes meeting her gaze. "I'm just… This is a shock." She said smiling, crouching down to be eye level with him. "A _good_ shock." Lucy grinned widely and shot a look over at Natsu who still had that sweet smile on his face. Her cheeks warmed as Natsu caught her gaze and broadened his grin.

"R-really?" Ryuu stammered, a small smile playing on his lips. Lucy nodded and motioned for him to come to her. He nearly bowled her over by flinging himself into her arms. Lucy giggled through her tears as Ryuu cried into her shoulder.

"Always a Momma's boy," Yaje snickered and Shutora glared at him.

"I would only hope that you would be too." Gajeel sent him a stern glance and Yaje shuffled his feet sheepishly.

"Um, he totally is." Shutora grinned causing a rumble of laughter to pass through the crowd. Lucy pulled back a bit and wiped at Ryuu's face as he then looked embarrassed about his emotional outburst.

"The only thing I'm disappointed about," Lucy began, a small grin starting to form while Ryuu looked alarmed. "Is that I feel like the ending to my favorite book has been spoiled for me. And Natsu." Lucy exchanged another look with Natsu who grinned at her.

"Oh, Lu…" Levy giggled behind her hand and Lucy turned back and faced Ryuu once more.

"But the thing is," Lucy continued, swiping a few stray strands of blonde hair out of his face as she spoke. "It doesn't make me want to read our story any less. In fact, it makes it all that more exciting."

* * *

Lucy's heart felt full. She watched as Natsu fell straight into the Dad role, playing with Stella effortlessly. They group had confirmed that Shutora and Yaje were thirteen, which made everyone feel really old and another existential crisis ensued, after the initial shock that they all were parents. Kei was eight and he clung to Erza with every move she made. After the "meet and greet" with the kids, she had immediately sent for Jellal to turn back around and head to Fairy Tail. She hadn't told him what was going on, as to not give him a shock, but she told him it was urgent and he was needed. Ryuu and Briny were both seven, and finding that out made Lucy's head spin, because she was, apparently, going to give birth to Ryuu in just six years' time, and she and Natsu weren't even together. That was a whole other hurdle to jump over.

Gray was also falling straight into the Dad role, now chatting with a very reserved and bashful Briny. Juvia was near bursting at the seams at the prospect of Gray as a dad and her becoming a mom. Stella, the "Littlest Star", as she was referred to by older Lucy and Natsu, was only five and she was a spitfire. Just by watching her with Natsu for a few moments, there was no doubting that she was Natsu's daughter. Though she was young, her personality was fun and mischievous and a bit of a terror, just like Natsu's.

"Look at her, Luce!" Natsu broke Lucy's thoughts as he laughed maniacally while Stella climbed up him like a wild woman.

"They really are alike." Ryuu stated quietly, looking at his sister fondly, but a shadow soon passed over his eyes. "But she's so annoying! Ugh, she won't leave me alone half the time, and is _so_ nosy, and she's always catching something on _fire_, ugh…"

"Whoa! You can use fire?" Natsu's eyes bugged out as he finally managed to grab a hold of Stella, slinging her up in the air as she lit her little fists ablaze. "Whoa-ho!"

"We _both_ can, actually," Ryuu pouted a bit and Lucy realized he must be feeling left out a bit since Natsu was being so enthusiastic with Stella.

"Oh?" Lucy smiled down at him, though a little disappointed that neither of them, she supposed, were interested in celestial magic.

"Yeah," Ryuu grinned up at her. "So far, Stel just uses regular fire magic, but Dad has been teaching her dragon slayer magic too." Lucy nodded; how proud Igneel would have been to see Natsu teaching his own offspring.

"And what can you do?" Lucy asked, and Ryuu's grin broadened.

"_I _use celestial fire magic." His smile growing nearly reaching ear to ear as Lucy had another pulse of shock pass through her.

"Celestial fire?" Lucy breathed out, her own smile bursting through. "What is that? Tell me all about it!"

"Yeah! We were both born with fire abilities. But as I got older, _you_ realized it wasn't the same type of magic that Dad or Stella uses. You said that I was actually summoning fire spirits." Ryuu explained and Lucy felt dazzled at the prospect of the magic. Her heart was so full, their kids were so talented. "And you've been training with me ever since." Ryuu continued on shyly. He then, waved his hand gently through the air, small sparks popping and sizzling, the area around them warming. His palm started to glow, and suddenly, out of nothing, something appeared.

"Puun puun!" It cheered as it appeared and Lucy's eyes nearly leapt out of her head.

"Plu?!" Lucy gasped and Ryuu giggled, holding his sides as he did.

"It's a fire spirit that's _like_ Plu, his name is Sora." Ryuu smiled proudly up at Lucy as she studied the spirit.

"That is so _cool_!" Lucy managed to gasp out. While she very nearly geeked out over her son's magic, she suddenly felt strong arms envelope both her and Ryuu.

"Both of you are amazing," Natsu's voice was close to Lucy's ear as he looked between Stella and Ryuu. Ryuu blushed furiously, but embraced Natsu tightly; Natsu passed Stella on to Lucy so he could focus his full attention on their son. "Tell me more about your cool magic, bud…"

* * *

The impromptu meet and greet was brought to a halt as reality was swiftly brought back up. They needed to find a way to help the kids return to their time, and they were on a short time frame to do so since Levy was on the brink of giving birth.

"We need to get Freed to help," Levy thought out loud, her finger tapping her cheek while she rested her face in her palm. Lucy thought it was amusing that Shutora stood in front of her in the exact same thoughtful stance. "If he's the one that helped you out with the spell in the first place, he may have an idea how it works, even though it's from the future."

"I'll contact the Thunder Legion," Mira called from the bar, quickly getting out the guild's communication lacrima. "I don't think they went far."

"Freed, from this time, may be able to help… But the base of the spell wasn't runes," Yaje's brow creased in thought, making him look strikingly similar to Gajeel it was almost haunting. "It came from a book. That's why we wanted to come here where you, Mom, and Lucy were." Yaje sent a small smile Lucy's way.

"We figured that you two would know best about books. Especially since Lucy's a multiple times national bestseller."

"Wha-!" Lucy exclaimed, "I have _more_ books that I wrote? Ah, don't tell me anymore! I want to be surprised!" Lucy pressed her palms to her ears childishly and Natsu snickered.

"Lucy, it's no surprise. You're talented and amazing." Natsu rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Pretty obvious." Lucy blushed and tucked her chin down to her chest.

"Geez, can you guys keep the disgusting flirting to a minimum?" Gray rolled his eyes and Natsu scowled at him.

"I'm quite sure we're beyond that, Gray. Considering," Erza deadpanned, sweeping an arm around the full guild hall, while Gray's ears burned red.

"R-right…"

"Sooo," An arm suddenly slung over Lucy's shoulders. Cana's face popped up beside hers, smirking deviously. "Y'know what this means, heh?" Cana was barely containing her giggles and Lucy felt a blush creeping up onto her cheeks once more. "That means you and Natsu finally got your freak on." If Lucy could catch fire, she would have at that very moment. "At least twice." Thankfully, Ryuu and Stella were with Natsu further away, but Lucy knew that Natsu had heard Cana's vulgar words because he stiffened, his ears turning as red as Gray's had been.

"Cana!" Lucy yelped and Cana giggled. "Children!"

"Exactly! That's what happens when you do the do!" Cana burst out into a fit of laughter and Lucy glared at her in spite of her deep embarrassment.

"_Moving on_!" Lucy hissed through clenched teeth while Natsu didn't seem to be able to make eye contact with either of them. Thankfully, Stella and Ryuu kept him busy; that was _not_ a conversation Lucy wanted to have at the moment.

Just then, the guild's doors burst open, and a wildly frantic looking Jellal stepped in, bee-lining it to Erza.

"What's going on?!" Jellal practically yelled, seemingly oblivious to the strange children that were also occupying Fairy Tail as well as shedding his usual quiet demeanor. "I came as fast as I could."

"Oh, it's alright," Erza soothed, smiling up at Jellal who seemed completely taken aback by her calm behavior.

"Erza," Jellal started quietly, running a hand through his now wild looking blue hair, "You told me this was _life or death_." Natsu and Gray burst out a laugh while Mira shook her head.

"Erza, you _might_ want to work on your phrasing of things…" Mira chided and Erza looked bewildered.

"Well, I needed you here promptly." Erza said simply, looking confused. Jellal just side, placing a hand over his chest where his heart was probably beating like a caged bird's wings.

"Erza," Lucy had to admire his keeping of composure, "All you needed to say was that you needed me to come here. I would have regardless of a life or death emergency. I thought someone was dying."

"Why ever would you think that?" Jellal sighed once again, dragging a hand down his face in exasperation.

"What's going on?" He asked finally, taking a glance around the hall. His gaze passed over the kids and his eyebrows shot up. Lucy caught sight of Kei; he had been so keen on seeing Jellal, and Lucy couldn't help but wonder why. _Didn't he seem him plenty in the future?_ Kei stood stark still, quivering. Tears welled up in his eyes, the patch that was covering the one with the birthmark was long gone. Jellal's gaze rested on him, his eyes widening at the sight of the identical mark. The two could have been having a staring match had it not been for the sobs that were now being ripped out of Kei's throat.

"Erza, what's this-?" Jellal started, his throat bobbing hard. "W-what-" Before he could continue his thought, Kei practically flung himself across the distance between him and Jellal, crashing him into a death grip.

"_Dad_!"


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't think this is a good idea, K-" Yaje started, sounding genuinely concerned this time around.

"Shut _up_, Yaje!" Kei's eyes burned with the same fire that only Erza could muster. Lucy shivered; it was uncanny how much he looked like Jellal, but acted like Erza. "Just shut up…" Kei sobbed and clung to a wide eyed Jellal. Shutora gave her brother a patronizing look and Yaje shuffled his feet.

"All I was saying-"

"Just let him have this, Yaje." Shutora murmured quietly. Lucy had an uneasy feeling about the whole situation. Why was Kei so upset and desperate about seeing Jellal? Why did Shutora look so sad?

"Erza," Jellal began quietly and paused to swallow hard once more. "Can you please tell me what's happening?" Erza wrung her hands together, looking uncommonly nervous. Lucy, once again, averted her eyes from the family to let them have their moment, and focused on Stella in her arms. While the little girl showed Lucy all about her own fire magic, Erza explained to Jellal the situation. Lucy stole glances at them and witnessed Jellal's usual stoic face go through a range of emotions. He finally seemed to have soaked the information in and sat quietly; Kei standing in front of him expectantly, and Erza looking, uncharacteristically, like a nervous wreck.

The pause seemed to last for an eternity, everyone seemed to be holding their breath. After a few more moments of silence, Kei looking like he was near bursting into tears again, Jellal blew out a soft breath and smiled at Kei.

"Come here," He beckoned Kei over and the little red head once again flung himself into his father's arms. "Why don't you tell Erza and I about yourself." Kei sniffled and nodded his head.

"I haven't seen you- I-I mean it feels like I haven't seen you in forever." Kei whispered, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand. "Y-you know, with all of this going on." He half- heartedly gestured to the large group of, possibly in shock, people.

"Wendy! Kitties!" Stella suddenly yelled, pointing over Lucy's shoulder.

"What's going on in here?" Carla looked around, startled. "We came back because Happy was supposed to go on a job with us, but never made it."

"Yes, we were getting quite worried." Pantherlily's brow was creased in concern, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Something… Smells different…" Wendy trailed off a bit as her arms roamed around the guild hall. "Hey, what's going on?" She took a few tentative steps closer, her nose twitching just as Natsu's and Gajeel's had. Lucy pondered the thought of it being unfair that the dragon slayers could differentiate everyone's smells. She wanted to know what her children smelled like, it wasn't fair. She momentarily buried her nose into Stella's soft pink locks and inhaled experimentally. She was surprised when she found the little girl smelled familiar, but different. Like a mix of her favorite shampoo and Natsu's earthy, almost smoky scent. She smiled to herself and then caught Natsu's eye where he stood with Ryuu on his shoulders. His eyes were warm and a soft smile played on his lips. Lucy felt her stomach flutter; she was still wrapping her mind around the fact that these were real, tangible children that she and Natsu created. Her mind was whirling; how had she and Natsu gotten together? Wasn't Natsu just her friend? How was she supposed to be together with Natsu and have Ryuu in less than ten years' time? The thoughts made Lucy's head spin.

She was snapped from her thoughts by the sound of her guild mates explaining to Wendy, Carla, and Pantherlily what was going on. She hoped this was the last time they would have to explain the situation because the kids needed to get back to their own time and so far, they had not gotten far.

"It's so weird, Wendy isn't much older than we are in this time." Shutora mused as they looked interestedly at the blue haired dragon slayer.

"Yeah, she doesn't look much different either, except her hair is short." Yaje agreed and Wendy's ears picked up on their conversation causing her to flush.

"You mean I don't look different than I do now?!" Wendy gasped in slight disappointment, "Do I at least get a bit taller?" Yaje and Shutora shrugged noncommittedly and Wendy covered her face with her hands, her ears turning red.

"I think there are more important things at hand, child!" Carla scolded and Wendy sighed.

"You're right, we'll help you in any way that we can."

"What's the E.T.A of the Thunder Legion getting here?" Gray asked Mira who worriedly glanced at the guild's front door.

"Any minute now, I've told them what's going on, so they're making their way back as fast as they can."

"How are you?" Natsu was suddenly back standing next to Lucy. All of the children were standing near their respective parents. Yaje and Shutora looked a bit nervous, glancing from time to time at their mother's belly.

"I'm not sure, this is a bit of a shock." Lucy admitted and Natsu nodded his head in agreement. "It's not necessarily _bad_, but it kind of feels like we're in a dream."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed as he swept his gaze across the guild hall. "But… You're not disappointed… Are you?" Natsu asked quietly and Lucy snapped her attention to him.

"What do you mean?" Natsu let a small breath of air hiss between his teeth and crossed his arms, and then uncrossed them. He was fidgety and Lucy was sure a blush dusted his cheeks. It certainly was the most she'd ever seen him blush probably since she had known him.

"I mean…" Natsu groaned and swiped a hand down his face, and then shyly met Lucy's gaze. Yes, Natsu Dragneel looked positively bashful in front of her. "I mean that Ryuu and Stella… That you… That, that they're _ours_." He said the sentence so quietly that Lucy had to nearly strain her ears to hear him. He looked so nervous and his face was almost as red as Kei and Erza's hair. The question threw Lucy off a bit, as well as Natsu's demeanor, so much so, that Lucy actually found herself inappropriately giggling. Natsu looked startled and hurt and Lucy slapped a hand over her mouth so not to draw attention from the others. Her giggles fizzled out to tears and she stood quietly crying in front of Natsu, her hand over her mouth still.

"Luce… What the hell?" Natsu looked so confused and had his hands out helplessly in front of him causing Lucy to burst into another fit of giggles due to his expression. "What is happening?"

"Natsu, oh my god, I'm so sorry." Lucy whispered, wiping her eyes with her fingers. "I-I think my emotions are finally catching up to me. I've been in such a shock…" Natsu visibly relaxed and drew an arm around her, pulling her to his chest comfortingly.

"I know."

"B-but this is not a reaction to what you asked," Lucy whispered so that only he would hear. "I think we have a lot to talk about after all of this is over, but no, god, I could never be disappointed." Lucy shifted so that she was looking Natsu in the face. His eyes shone with adoration and he wiped at Lucy's cheek to get any stray tears left. "You are my best friend. You've helped me become the person I am today, Natsu. You're an amazing person and clearly future me agrees with this too. If I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend, and share something as beautiful as these two with _you_, how could I be disappointed?" Natsu swallowed hard, his cheeks were red and his eyes were glittering.

"I am pretty awesome," Natsu whispered causing them both to giggle. Lucy's heart was full, and though she was a bit lost when it came to their shifting relationship, she felt good about it. Natsu leaned his forehead on hers and sighed. "I've never really thought much about stuff like this, and I'm not that good about… Feelings and stuff. But if I ever did think about having a family… You were always a part of it." He pulled back, his eyes searching her face. Lucy felt her eyes well up, once again, with tears, but she blinked them away and swallowed hard.

"I'm really happy to hear that." She smiled up at him and her owned happiness was reflected on his face, and Lucy couldn't help but embrace him tightly,

"I want a hug too, Mommy!" Stella came bounding back over to the pair, her arms thrown over her head, expectantly waiting to be picked up. "I want to be squished in the middle like you and Daddy usually do!"

"They don't know what you're talking about, Stella." Ryuu sighed and Lucy smiled down at her.

"Well, I think we can arrange that, can't we, Natsu?" Lucy smiled at him and he scooped Stella up, causing her to squeal in delight. They both hugged her tightly and nuzzled her until she fell into a fit of giggles. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ryuu shuffling his feat, his face tinged pink. She shifted so Natsu held Stella fully and then swung Ryuu up, squeezing him tightly in an embrace.

"H-hey!" Ryuu protested, but his eyes shone with joy as Lucy hugged him closely.

"No forgetting the best celestial fire wizard there ever was!" Lucy smiled causing Ryuu to grin wide looking strikingly like Natsu. Lucy met Natsu's gaze and grinned and, in that moment, she realized that she would whole-heartedly miss the children when they left.

The moment between the family was broken as the Thunder Legion burst through the guild's doors. Freed immediately joined the group, conversing with Levy and the twins. Lucy put Ryuu down, leaving the kids to Natsu, and joined the group.

"Hmm… Time travel is capricious. This will be tricky." Freed had his hand under his chin in thought and Levy looked worried. "You don't happen to have the book with you, do you?" Freed questioned Shutora and she sullenly shook her head.

"No, unfortunately. It only transported the six of us… But I figured if you were the one who taught me the enchantment, maybe you'd be able to break it down to reverse it?"

"Why don't you tell me how it goes and we'll see if we can reverse it." Freed instructed and Shutora explained how future Freed instructed her to cast it and how she actually cast it. Levy swiftly wrote everything down and compared it to possible ways Shutora could have mixed something up within the enchantment. Lucy racked her brain trying to remember if she had come across any texts about this kind of spell. She could feel sweat prickling her skin; anxiety was coursing through her. She was ridiculously worried that Levy was going to go into labor literally any minute- Porlyusica had said she was due any day now. Gajeel was pacing back and forth, a worried scowl had now taken up permanent residence on his face.

"So, Freed didn't _create_ the spell, rather he showed you how to preform it, Shutora?" Lucy asked, her mind racing.

"Yeah, he had found the book in the library and was going to give it to Mom because he thought she might find it interesting. He saw us down there looking at the old photo album and had come across the spell when looking through the book. He showed me it and how to cast it," Shutora paused, worrying her lip. "It really is my fault. I've done lots of small enchantment and spells in the past… You see, my magic is a lot like Mom's but it's a bit different than solid script magic. I use script, but I can enchant what I want to use onto myself. Say I wanted to be like Dad and use iron-" Shutora gestured to Gajeel and he paused for a moment to smirk at his daughter, "I can use script to actually turn my body into iron." Lucy nodded as for her to continue.

"You're amazing!" Levy exclaimed and Lucy smiled at her friend. Shutora was amazing.

"Thanks, Mom," Shutora smiled briefly, but her face fell as she continued. "But I don't think I was amazing in this instance. I was trying to enchant the projection spell through me, since that's how my magic works. It was a spell for solid script mages, but I'm thinking that my magic took the spell and warped it. I… I think that my magic literally turned me into a portal. Instead of simply projecting the photo album, it transported us here. And I think the others were dragged along with me because they were close by." Shutora shuffled her feet looking defeated.

"That's not your fault," Levy consoled, "You were only doing what you know best."

"Yes, if anything, future me is to blame for being so irresponsible. I should have studied the spell carefully and compared it to your magic power to see if it was compatible. Since you are not fully a solid script mage and you seem to have other underlying abilities that a script mage doesn't have, of course your magic would interpret it differently." Freed explained, a friendly smile on his face. Shutora seemed to relax at their words and sighed.

"I suppose you're right." She shrugged and then smiled at Freed. "But don't beat your, uh, future self up too much. I think you rushed out of the library after showing us because Laxus came back from a mission." She giggled and Freed's face burned.

"Uh, right, let's get on with this." Freed cleared his throat and turned his attention to the spell. It seemed like ages passed and Lucy could actually feel her brain growing tired from thinking.

"Is it imperative that we have the book?" Lucy asked and Freed sighed.

"I'm thinking that we may. With how this spell is, it was probably written on enchanted paper. It's not a particularly strong spell on its own, so saying the words or preforming them with your own magic power probably would have no effect. It was written on the paper to give it an extra boost for the wizard who would perform it." Freed explained and Lucy's heart sank.

"How are we… Shutora, do you know what the book looked like?" Lucy asked and Shutora looked lost.

"I… Um…"

"It was red. I know that at least." Yaje answered for his sister and Lucy nodded. "It was red and it had gold foil text on the front and spine. I'm not one hundred percent sure what the title was, we were all pretty excited about it working." Yaje finished apologetically.

"You seem to remember a lot of details, thank you, Yaje!" Levy beamed at her son and her blushed.

"Yaje is a real bookworm." Shutora giggled at her brother's expense, but he just shrugged and smiled softly.

"Well, you _are _my mom." He laughed, looking at Levy who looked like she was about to burst at her seems with pride.

"That's great, Yaje, thank you! I'm going to go down to the library to see if I can find it. Chances are the book is down there, the library is practically ancient." Lucy informed them, rushing to the library stairs.

"Yo, Luce! We're comin' with you!" Natsu called with Stella perched on his shoulders and Ryuu at his heels.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered and sped off to catch up with the group of them. "It'll be our first family mission!"


	5. Chapter 5

"So… Where should we start looking, Luce?" Natsu questioned, his gaze flicking around the large library. Lucy felt her heart skip at the daunting task before them.

"Anywhere, honestly. The book could be anywhere in here." Lucy sighed and made her way to the first shelf she saw. "I don't even know how we're going to find it." Lucy said, mostly to herself, but Natsu's brow creased at her words.

"You're worried."

"Yes, I'm worried about Levy." Lucy admitted as she sifted through book spines. She lowered her voice and continued. "I don't know what's going to happen to Shutora and Yaje if they're born in this time period while they're still here." Natsu was quiet, his brow still creased. Lucy knew he was worried too, the time crunch was really on them and Lucy had no idea how they were going to pull this off. Even if they found the book, they'd still need to find a way to get the kids back to their own time, and Lucy was still trying to figure that bit out.

"C'mon guys, let's look for a red book!" Natsu cheered and led Ryuu and Stella to a book case. Lucy's heart warmed at how easily Natsu fell into a fatherly role. She had seen it before in instances like babysitting Asuka, but it never ceased to amaze her how truly caring he was with children. Of course, she wasn't _surprised_ he was so good with them, he practically had a heart of gold; it just amazed her how easily he adapted in this situation. Lucy felt guilty that she was in shock for most of the time up in the guild hall; she made Ryuu feel like she had been disappointed by them. That being said, this was a shock of a life time and Lucy was still reeling from it. Her nerves were buzzing and her hands shook as she passed them over spine after spine.

"Any luck up there, Happy?" Lucy called where Happy floated near the higher up book shelves.

"Well… There are a lot of red books, but I haven't found anything with gold writing…" He replied glumly and Lucy sighed.

"That's okay, let's continue looking! We'll find it, everyone." Lucy tried to sound positive, but her heart was hammering in her chest. She could practically hear time ticking on, a countdown in her head to Levy going into labor.

"Stella, stay close to me, this library is big." Natsu advised and Stella scampered over closer to him, grasping the fabric of his pants as he scanned through books. Lucy was torn from wanting to soak up every second of Natsu being a dad and the need to find the enchanted book.

"Mo- I mean, Lucy?" Ryuu suddenly appeared next to Lucy, his eyes shining with worry.

"You can call me whatever makes you most comfortable, Ryuu." Lucy smiled down at him and he seemed to relax a bit, but his brow was still creased in concern.

"Okay… Mom." He grinned a bit and continued. "W-what happens if we can't get back to the future before Levy has her babies? What happens to us?" He whispered, his eyes shining and on the brink of tears. "Are we going to disappear?"

Lucy's heart clenched as she crouched down to be eye level with Ryuu. She brushed his hair out of his eyes and stroked the side of his face comfortingly. He sighed and nuzzled into her hand a bit and Lucy smiled at him again, hoping to relax him.

"No, you're not going to disappear. None of you are. You're all going to get back safely to us in the future." Lucy promised and Ryuu nodded and tried to discretely wipe his eyes with the back of his hand. "Why don't you help me look for the book. Do you remember anything about it? Did you see it at all?"

"Um, I remember the red and the gold writing…" He paused in thought and Lucy felt a jolt go through her as she looked at him. Sure, he practically looked like a mini Natsu with blonde hair, but his thinking face looked so much like her own expressions, she nearly broke out into a huge grin. His face suddenly lit up as he replied, a small smile on his lips. "I think… I think it may have been titled something like _Enchanted Scripts_ or _Enchantments for Script Mages_. I'm not one hundred percent sure since I only saw it for a second before Shutora tried the spell, but if I think hard, I think it said something like that."

"That's great, Ryuu, thank you!" Lucy beamed and Ryuu's eyes lit up in delight. "Did you get that, Natsu? Let's try looking for a book like that."

"You got it!" Natsu grinned over his shoulder and continued scanning through the books. Even with the information they had, it felt like ages had passed and they were still no closer to finding the book. Lucy resisted the urge to let out a frustrated groan when she was startled by the door to the library being opened.

"Any luck?" Gray's voice called from above and Lucy shook her head before answering.

"Not yet, we're still searching!"

"Damn…" Gray cursed, and Natsu's head swung to face the door.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked carefully, holding onto Stella's hand tightly. There was a pause before Gray answered and it chilled Lucy.

"Porlyusica… She says that this stress may cause Levy to go into early labor." He answered quietly and Natsu's face scrunched in worry. Ryuu looked as terrified as Lucy felt and she didn't feel like spending any more time on the conversation, they needed to find the book fast.

"Then we'll look harder." Lucy stated firmly and Natsu nodded.

"We'll come down and help. Freed and Levy are still working with Shutora and Yaje on the spell… Though Porlyusica is on the verge of forcing her into the infirmary." Gray informed them as he clomped down the steps with Juvia and Briny in tow. Lucy mentally kicked herself for not having her Wind Reader glasses; she couldn't help but wonder if they would help her read the book spines faster.

"Hey, Natsu! Think you could smell enchanted paper if you tried?" Happy suddenly called and Lucy's interest pricked.

"That's a good idea, Happy!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly.

"I can try!"

"I'll help Daddy too!" Stella declared and started loudly sniffing books causing a chuckle to reverberate around the library. The comic relief was appreciated.

Ages passed and Lucy felt like all of the books were starting to blur together. She could feel her nerves bundle even tighter together, and her heart was pounding in her throat. Her only solace was stealing glances at "Dad Natsu" in his element and seeing how cute Gray and Juvia were as parents. She couldn't help but idly think about where _she_ was a good mom. It seemed like everyone else had fallen into the parenting role so easily, why had she had such a heart time? She was clearly stressed because her mind was racing and now Lucy was fearing that she wasn't a good mom when she wasn't even a mom yet. Lucy sighed and shook her head; she hoped that they'd find the book soon or her head was going to burst.

"Hey… Ryuu?" Lucy glanced down at him; seeing his unruly blonde hair made her smile at least. He looked up to meet her gaze and it was then that Lucy was struck with heart wrenching emotions. If only Layla could see her grandchildren. If only Igneel could. Would her mother think she's a good mom? Was she as good of a mom as Layla was? The thoughts brought tears to her eyes and Ryuu's brow creased in concern.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his hand half extended to comfort her, but he pulled it back hesitantly.

"I wanted to ask… Am I a good mom?" Lucy whispered feeling childish. Ryuu looked bewildered at her question, but sighed and relaxed his shoulders. A few moments of silence passed and it felt like pure torture to Lucy, but he broke the stretch and grinned up at her warmly.

"You're the best mom." Ryuu assured her. "You're cool." Lucy let out a relieved half giggle, half strangled sob, and smiled broadly at her son.

"That's so great to hear," Lucy laughed, wiping her eyes. "Natsu, I'm a _cool_ mom." She smirked at him and he looked momentarily bewildered.

"Yeah, and Dad's a _huge_ dork." Ryuu snickered causing Natsu to frown and Lucy to burst into a fit of giggles.

"Wha-? What do you mean I'm a _dork_?" Natsu protested, looking wounded, and causing Ryuu and Lucy to laugh harder.

"He's got you spot on," Gray snickered and Natsu scowled in his direction. "But I would have chosen a different word."

"What would you call him, Daddy?" Briny's soft voice asked and Gray's grin dropped quickly, Juvia sending him a grimace.

"Er, I would call him _silly_."

"That's not what you usually call him. You usually call him a flaming-bad word I'm not allowed to say." Briny responded with a shrug.

"What on Earthland are you teaching our daughter?" Juvia exclaimed, drawing Briny closer to her.

"B-but I'm not even a dad yet! That wasn't me, that was a different me!" Gray protested, but Juvia tisked and Natsu snickered. He then turned his attention to Stella who was a bit further down the bookshelf from him. She had been quiet for a while and seemed to be really focused on the task at hand.

"Stella, you don't think I'm a dork, do you?" Stella giggled and looked over her shoulder at Natsu causing him to gasp. "It's ridiculous how much she looks like you, Luce!" Lucy grinned warmly; she almost wished part of her future hadn't been spoiled, but she was enjoying every second of being a parent with Natsu.

"No, Daddy, you're not a dork. But I think Gray is." She giggled again and Natsu guffawed.

"There is no _way_ you didn't teach her that, you flaming-ass-"

"_Gray_!" Juvia scolded and Gray clamped his mouth shut, glaring at Natsu.

"But Daddy, look at this!" Stella suddenly yanked a book from its space on the shelf, holding it proudly over her head. "I sniffed it out!"

"You did not, Stella! You're not a dragon slayer." Ryuu pouted and Lucy drew him into a side hug. Stella held a red book with gold lettering out before her for Natsu to take.

"It says, _Enchantments for the Solid Script Mage_. Smells like magic too." Natsu smiled proudly down at Stella. "Thanks, Stel!" Lucy's heart jolted with excitement, they had finally found the book! Ryuu still looked put off that he hadn't been the one to find it so, Lucy squeezed him a bit tighter and smiled at him.

"And we couldn't have done it without Ryuu remembering that title! You both were a great help!" He smiled up at Lucy once more and relaxed.

"Thanks, Stel, you've helped us get home."

The group rushed back up to the guild hall, book proudly displayed for Levy and the others. Shutora practically lit up when she saw the book and raced towards them.

"That's it! That's the book!" She cried, relief etched on her face.

"That's great!" Levy exclaimed, her hands resting on her belly. Natsu handed over the book and Freed examined it, his brow creased in concentration.

"This is a great start, but we're going to need to figure out a way to transport you kids back to the future." He paused, looking up. "That's the tricky part. You were looking at an album, so there was visual representation of where the spell took you. In this instance, we don't know if that will work, and we don't have any pictures of the future, obviously, to test." Freed sighed, looking frustrated.

"B-but… If we don't have a picture with us of our time, how are we going to get back?" Shutora exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears. Levy pulled her in for a hug, stroking her back.

"We will find a way, Shutora. Don't worry." Levy soothed, though she looked worried herself. Lucy's mind raced once more; how were they to send the children off if they had nothing to represent the future? The only other form of time travel she knew of was the Eclipse Gate, and that was obviously not an option.

"I suppose we could try it with mental visualization? Perhaps, Shutora, when you cast the spell, you can envision your time's guild hall-" Freed was cut off by Kei suddenly yelling out.

"Wait! Wait, I have this!" Kei ran to them grasping a tattered looking piece of paper. It looked like it had been folded and opened many times. As he opened it, Lucy realized it was a picture of Jellal and Erza. They looked a bit older than they are now and they were smiling brightly. A younger Kei was squished between them, happily giggling up at the photographic lacrima. Lucy couldn't help but notice that photograph Kei's eyes shone brightly, full of life. The Kei in front of her looked dull and almost colorless as if his life had been drained from him long ago.


End file.
